Pivotal mounting for a jewelry article having changeable faces



' Nov. 16, 1965 B. R. NEWMAN 3,217,514

PIVOTAL MOUNTING FOR A JEWELRY ARTICLE HAVING CHANGEABLE FACES Filed Nov. 15, 1963 ii @2 4 flilmim f l'IIIIIII/l F I 8 INVENTOR.

BARRY R. NEWMAN /3m flaw ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,217,514 PIVOTAL MOUNTING FOR A JEWELRY ARTICLE HAVING CHANGEABLE FACES Barry R. Newman, Brookline, Mass., assignor to Lang Jewelry Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Nov. 13, 1963, Ser. No. 323,413 3 Claims. (Cl. 6331) This invention relates to an article of jewelry, and more particularly to an ornamental member which is so mounted that it may selectively expose any one of a plurality of different obverse faces.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an article of jewelry which may be easily converted from one ornamental face to another ornamental face.

Another object of this invention is to provide a resilient means for holding a pivoted ornamental member so that it may be moved from one ornamental face to another by the user of the article of jewelry.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an article of jewelry, more specifically here shown as a bracelet showing one of the links thereof in full and the other of the links in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the link shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the ornamental portion of the link as being partially swung from one position to another;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but on a greatly enlarged scale with the pivot bearing for the ornamental member in open position;

FIG. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 55 of FIG. 2 but with the bearing in open position as in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 66 of FIG. 3 with the ornamental member in a different position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective View of the spring which is used for loading the pivotal trunnions;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a fragmental portion of the pivot bearing on an enlarged scale.

In proceeding with this invention, I have provided a jewelry. article which may be of various forms although it is here illustrated as a bracelet which has a body member with an opening therein and in this opening I have pivoted an ornamental member having a plurality of obverse faces. The ornamental member has trunnions extending from diametrically opposite points to rest in bearings located in the surrounding walls of the opening at diametrically opposite points, the arrangement being such that the ornamental member may be pivoted in these bearings to swing either of the obverse faces into parallelism with the obverse face of the body member, and I spring load these trunnions which have flat surfaces corresponding to the ornamental faces so that the resilience of the spring will hold the ornamental member in either one of the selected positions which it may assume to expose the desired ornamental face. I have centralized the pivotal trunnions between the opposite edges of the flat loading spring so that there is no liability for the corners of the squared trunnions to catch beneath the spring and interfere with its movement from one position to another.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates generally a bracelet having a plurality of links 11, one of which is shown in full lines and the others are indicated in phantom. This link has an ornamental body part 12 with a central opening 13 therein surrounded by the framework of the body part. Bearings 14, 14 are located at diametrically opposite points of the walls surrounding this opening.

Each of these bearings 14 comprise a hollow or recess portion 15 formed with a top wall 16 and upwardly extending side walls 17, 17 which extend sufficiently to form tabs 18 and 19 which may be folded inwardly to provide a bottom wall. One end wall 20 is provided on the outer edge of this hearing recess while the inner portion of the bean ing has no end wall. There is also provided extending downwardly from the top wall a projecting spacer 21 which is concave as at 22 on its bearing surface.

An ornamental member 25 is of a size and shape to fit within the opening 13 and swing freely therein. This ornamental member has a gem 26 mounted on one obverse face thereof and a filigree design 27 on the other obverse face thereof or it may be variously arranged with obverse faces as is desired. Square trunnions 28 are located at diametrically opposite points of this ornamental member and reside in the bearings 14 and may engage the concave surface 22 of the portion 21 in the bearing to centralize the trunnions with respect to the bearing and the spring therein. Each of these trunnions is square in cross section. The trunnions may be provided by a square pin having an ornamental member designated generally 25 cast about it or may be provided in various other ways. The flat surfaces of these trunnions are so correlated to the ornamental faces that when a flat spring engages in face to face contact with a flat face of the square trunnion the ornamental member will present its obverse face in the desired position.

A spring designated generally 30 in a form having a bridging portion 31 with arms 32 folded inwardly on a curve as at 33 to present engaging surfaces 34 is located in each one of the bearing recesses 15 with its bridging wall 31 engaging the end wall 20 and its arms 32 extending along and in spaced relation to the side walls 17 and its inturned ends 34 on either side of the spacer 21, thus locating the spring in position with its arms spaced to receive the trunnions 28. The portions 34 of the spring engage the trunnions 28 and if one of its faces are not in face to face engagement with the fiat face of the spring, the spring will tend to locate one of the fiat faces of these trunnions at right angles to the top wall 16 and as such faces are perpendicular to the obverse faces of the ornamental member they will locate the ornamental member in the desired horizontal position in the opening 13 of the horizontal body member of the article of jewelry.

By reason of the projecting portions 21 and their concave faces, the trunnions are centralized in spaced relation to the opposite edges of the ribbon-like sheet metal springs 30 and thus as rotation of the ornamental member occurs, the spring acts evenly upon it and the corners of the trunnions cannot catch beneath the edges of the portions 33 of the spring which contact the top Wall 16.

The projecting portion 21 will be substantially the same dimension as the distance across flats of the trunnion so that the arms 32 and bearing portions 34 may have their maximum pressure upon the trunnions. After the spring is located in the bearing portion, the tabs 18 and 19 will be bent inwardly as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 so as to provide a closing wall and maintain the spring in position.

I claim:

1. An article of jewelry comprising a body member having an opening therein with bearings in the surrounding 'alls thereof at diametrically opposite locations, an ornamental member within said opening having a plurality of obverse faces, pivot trunnions extending from diametrically opposite sides of said ornamental member and fixed thereto and located in said bearings, said trunnions having flat surfaces corresponding with and correlated to said obverse faces, and spring means to load said flat surfaces to maintain said ornamental member in a selected one of a plurality of positions relative to said body member said spring means being located in said bearings and comprising resilient sheet metal portions presenting flat parallel surfaces engaging said trunnions and of a width greater than the diameter of said trunnions and means in said bearings locating the trunnions intermediate the opposite edges of said portions and providing a bearing surface for the trunnions.

2. An article of jewelry as in claim 1 wherein said trunnions are substantially square in cross section.

4. 3. An article of jewelry as in claim 1 wherein spring means are sheet metal ribbon springs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 760,890 5/1904 Mackinder 16-l42 1,570,776 1/1926 Peters 6329 FOREIGN PATENTS 358,193 12/1905 France. 739,455 10/1932 France.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF JEWELRY COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN WITH BEARINGS IN THE SURROUNDING WALLS THEREOF AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE LOCATIONS, AN ORNAMENTAL MEMBER WITHIN SAID OPENING HAVING A PLURALITY OF OBVERSE FACES, A PIVOT TRUNNIONS EXTENDING FROM DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID ORNAMENTAL MEMBER AND FIXED THERETO AND LOCATED IN SAID BREARINGS, SAID TRUNNIONS HAVING FLAT SURFACES CORRESPONDING WITH AND CORRELATED TO SAID OBVERSE FACES, AND SPRING MEANS TO LOAD SAID FLAT SURFACES TO MAINTAIN SAID ORNAMENTAL MEMBER IN A SELECTED ONE OF A PLURALITY OF POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID BODY MEMBER SAID SPRING MEANS BEING LOCATED IN SAID BEARINGS AND COMPRISING RESILIENT SHEET METAL PORTIONS PRESENTING FLAT PARALLEL SURFACES ENGAGING SAID TRUNNIONS AND OF A WIDTH GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID TRUNNIONS AND MEANS IN SAID BEARINGS LOCATIONS THE TRUNNIONS INTERMEDIATE THE OPPOSITE EDGES OF SAID PORTIONS AND PROVIDING A BEARING SURFACE FOR THE TRUNNIONS. 